Duty
by SerapeWrensFolk
Summary: Weiss tries to leave Beacon in order to save her father. Her leader is not about to let her go so easily.


Red, blue, yellow, black, green, and finally white. Each dust container was loaded into the revolving chamber of the elegant rapier with the skill of one who had done such a thing for years. Weiss needed to hurry with these preparations. She'd traded her blinding white dress for a dark grey hoody and jeans, unbecoming street clothes she could sneak out with. Father probably would not approve of such drab clothing, but hopefully he wouldn't care too much when she saved him. '_Animals. Monsters. How dare they do this?'_ Her thoughts rang with anger, but truly it was just the surface of her emotions. She was frightened, terrified. Her father, her vati, was taken. They had their points of contention, maybe more than other families, but she still loved him. She still wanted him safe. That was why she was escaping Beacon. Rescue was her responsibility and like any good child she would see it through, whether or not her airhead of a leader agreed with her choice. '_Almost ready,' _she mentally confirmed as she slowly zipped open her duffle, gingerly setting her prized weapon inside. Currently, she was crouched in the parking garage of Beacon Academy, the only light coming from the poor fluorescents above, flickering every few seconds.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep," in a flash Weiss ripped Myrenmaster out from where she'd just set it, startled by the voice behind her. She leveled the point towards a girl shorter than her, clothed in black with a red cloak draped around her. She was unfazed by the weapon being pointed at her. "In case you forgot, we're leaving tomorrow and I want everyone awake on the airship to discuss tactics." Her face was set and professional, so very different from the adorable jubilance or embarrassment that usually graced that pale skin.

Weiss' eyes narrowed as her expression hardened. "I'm going, Ruby. I have to."

"We talked about this, Weiss. The team needs you. This mission is too important to go AWOL on."

"No!" Weiss retorted. "You talked! You didn't listen! It's my duty!" her grip was shaking with fury.

"You have a duty here, Weiss. A duty to your team and a duty to Vale."

"He'll die if I don't save him!"

"And how many will die if we don't complete our mission? Hundreds? Thousands? Your father has other people tracking him down. Team RWBY is the only thing that can prevent what's coming next, though."

"It has to be me! I'm the only one who can find him!"

"We all know that isn't true, Weiss," another voice sounded off and two figures emerged from the shadows. The two were like day and night; polar opposites but in perfect balance to each other. "Mr. Schnee has quite the private security force. They're all hunting for him, right now."

The heiress swiped her rapier to her side in an angry display. "What would you know about what's best for my father, Blake?! It's your former crew that took him in the first place! How do I know you don't '_want' _them to succeed?!" her eyes were wild and her hair was a mess. Her aura would become visible for split seconds every once in a while, flaring without control.

Ruby stepped in between the girls, drawing attention back to her. She was still calm. She looked more a leader than Weiss would ever admit to her. "Blake has proven her loyalty to the team. We all know that. That's not what's being discussed right now. We need you, Weiss," the last sentence was stated with a softer tone, reflecting the youngest girl's heartfelt wish for her team to stay together.

Weiss stormed right up into Ruby's face, continuing her wild gestures with her sword. "This isn't your call!"

"It's exactly my call. I'm the leader of this team for better or worse."

"Well, I'm not sure if I understand why it is you have that position, anymore," her voice dropped to a tight snarl. "You understand nothing, Ruby Rose. What could you possibly know about loss or risk or '_anything remotely complex?' _You're just some naïve little girl with a big gun and no respect."

The blonde behind Ruby started to reach forward in a warning sense. "You better think about what you're saying. You don't-"

"No, Yang. Let her talk," Ruby's voice was deadly quiet as she waved her older sister off. Yang and Blake took a few steps back as Ruby's aura gave off a new kind of emotion. Blake didn't know what was happening, but Yang did as she continued to drag her partner a few more yards away. "You want to know what I understand, Weiss? Maybe I should give you a demonstration. You fight me with all of your pain and I'll fight you with mine." The small girl blurred backwards a few yards, slipping on her hood and quick drawing her rifle as she did, and fired two shots straight at her ice princess.

Weiss barely reacted in time, throwing up a glyph to act as a shield. She could feel her heels slide a few inches from the impact as she was hammered by another three shots. She charged yellow dust in her rapier, dropping her glyph and striking back with a bolt of lightning. The only thing her attack hit was a cloud of rose petals. Ruby appeared in front of her in another cloud, scythe fully extended and ready to cleave Weiss in two. Weiss did a clumsy sidestep, sparks flying as the two weapons grinded against each other. Ruby disappeared again, and Weis found herself guarding against a barrage of scythe attacks from everything angle as Ruby started teleport flanking her with impossible speed. Weiss made a small misstep, deflecting the behemoth blade but receiving a cut on her cheek. She panicked slightly as rose petals saturated her vision, trying desperately to wave them away. Suddenly the curve of Ruby's blade appeared right in level with her neck. Myrenmaster was the only thing between them. Ruby Rose stood behind Weiss, facing away from the Schnee heiress as she pulled Crescent Rose closer. It was a power struggle and Weiss was barely holding on. The blade inched closer and closer, no matter how hard she tried to push it back. The rapier loosed itself from her grasp as her partner vanished again, spinning through the air and embedding itself into the concrete floor yards away. She dropped to her knees and felt her neck, making sure she didn't get cut.

The white haired girl had seen her partner get like this during some fights, but she'd never been of the receiving end. It was terrifying. Ruby always excelled at combat, but her friendly nature kept her from the efficient brutality that amplified one's skills. When it was gone, God help whoever she was facing.

Weiss climbed to her feet to find Ruby standing before her, spearing Crescent Rose into the ground and taking up an unarmed fighting stance. Rarely did the young girl fight without her precious gargantuan weapon, but when she did she used a faunas developed style to supplement her petite figure. Monkey style was what she called it. It was appropriate, to say the least. That golden scoundrel Sun had even tested her on it, deeming her good enough to learn a few moves he'd developed himself (though the minor flirting they had gotten into might have been a factor as well). Weiss still couldn't believe the four of them had become friends with that boy. Even her.

She shook herself and settled into her own stance. Hers was one of grace and dance, it had little offensive power. Ruby leapt forward into a drop kick and Weiss slid sideways to avoid it. Ruby caught ground with her hands, spinning her legs right to counter Weiss' dodge. Weiss brought up a glyph to shield herself from the kick and kept it up when Ruby sent a few quick aura jabs out. Suddenly, the hooded girl flipped over the snow angel's head aiming a sweep kick at her ankles and then a side kick at Weiss' ribs when the sweep was dodged. Weiss stumbled back as she clutched the place she was sure she would have a combat boot imprinted for the next week. With more pain came more anger. The heiress took to the offensive, aura charging her legs as she slid and kicked and spun. Throwing everything she had at the younger warrior. Ruby started off dodging and weaving through each attack, noticing a lock of her hair sever from a particularly close kick. With aura, Weiss's heels were like blades. Weiss spun through a kick and followed up by thrusting her palm forward and creating a glyph. Ruby vanished into another cloud of petals right as the luminescent symbol detonated. Weiss spun around again and slid away from the next flurry of punches coming towards her. Both their auras were flaring madly, and as they began their furious dance of fists and feet and jumps, rose red and snow white slowly began weaving together.

Aura was a funny thing. It was the base of one's soul, meaning the manifestation of one's aura was of something that could not lie. The closer you got to someone, the more compatible your auras become. Ruby and Weiss had been friends for some time, so fighting as equals was now like conversation of the soul. Weiss' brain was assaulted by a despair she had never felt before. '_Everything was gone from her. Everything. There was no more reason for her existence. No one to share life with. It was all gone. White fabric stained to red, just like her soul. So much blood. So much death. Snow white turning to rose red. "Why? Why is this happening? Please don't leave me. I'm so scared. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." The noise was becoming unbearable. The pressure was crushing her. Just a little ways off was madness. It looked like and escape hatch compared to the hell she was in. No! She had to fight it. There was work to be done. Things she could still do. She had to endure, but she needed something to anchor herself to reality.'_

Weiss hadn't noticed the fight had ended. She hadn't noticed she was curled up on the floor, tears streaming through her eyes. She hadn't noticed that for the last minute, she had started singing in that voice her father had always called angelic. A small melody. One that emerged from the soul.

'_Red like roses fills my dreams_

_And takes me to the place you rest'_

Ruby took a few deep breaths and drew her hood back, composing herself once more. There were barely visible tear trails down her cheeks that had been there since the fight had started. She walked over to her partner, crouching low and wrapping her in a tight hug and whispering into her ear. "I understand, Weiss. I really do. But it's not about us. We have to put the world first, right now."

The singing snow princess had snapped out of her trance and began sobbing. These were her own tears, this time. "I'm just so scared," she whimpered. "I don't want to lose my vati."

The red cloak wrapped around them both, seemingly by its own will. Ruby squeezed Weiss a little tighter. "I know and I don't want you to, either. We have to do our duty, first. After this is done, I'll help you save him."

Weiss sniffled a little, peering into the silver orbs in front of her for the truth. "You promise?"

Ruby giggled and her face softened to her usual smile. "Cross my heart."


End file.
